/ 2021 / /

PRESIDENTIAL VACANCY

Peru saw its greatest political instability in 20 years in mid-November, with three presidents coming into power over the course of little more than a week, resulting in massive protests throughout the country. Protests intensified, and on 12 November a National March occurred throughout Peru, demanding his resignation. On 14 November, thousands of people again took to the streets in a second National March, with many dressed in black. In Lima, two people were killed and more than 100 were injured in violent clashes with police.

Ernesto Benavides is Peruvian documentary photographer working primarily within South America. As a press photographer for the international news agency Agence France-Presse, his work has been published in media such as The New York Times, Grazzia, Brand eins, Le Monde, El País, Private, 6mois, Le Chasse Mare Washington Post, Wired, Atavist among others.

Awards Ernesto Benavides is Peruvian documentary photographer working primarily within South America. As a press photographer for the international news agency Agence France-Presse, his work has been published in media such as The New York Times, Grazzia, Brand eins, Le Monde, El País, Private, 6mois, Le Chasse Mare and Leopard. Recently, his photo essay Presidential Vacancy got the second place on the Spot News Stories category of the World Press Photo awards. His project Dredges its being nominated between the 12 finalist for the 2018 Oscar Barnack Leica awards and also won the 2017 IPYS, Peruvian photojournalism award and was included within the Songzhuang Chinese International Photo Biennale. In the same year, he was also awarded second place at the POYLATAM awards with his work, La Pampa, documenting the illegal mining fields of in the Peruvian rain forest. Previously, his photo-book Wanu was presented at the Indira festival in India, won second place in the IPA Awards and was a finalist in the Poyi awards. He has been a winner of the All Roads Photography Program of National Geographic (2011) and the IAPA (Inter American Press Association) awards (2010). He is a founding member of the photographic collective Supayfotos, exhibiting nationally and internationally since 2007. Benavides holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Lima.